A closer look at the historic Sola Busca tarot deck

An encounter with historic images

When we see an old tarot card, we sometimes look for meaning right away. What does this figure represent? What message does the card carry? The Sola Busca deck offers a different starting point. Before interpreting it, take a moment to look at the silhouettes, objects, lines, and gestures. Approaching the deck as a work of visual art brings details into focus that you might overlook if you were after a quick answer.

A deck preserved in its entirety

The Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan describes the Sola Busca as the oldest complete surviving tarot deck. It takes its name from its former owners. The Italian ministry responsible for culture acquired it in 2009 for the museum. These details concern the physical history of the cards, including how they were preserved, passed down, and brought into a public collection.

The British Museum describes a set of 78 engraved cards, with 22 trumps and 56 cards in the suits of cups, swords, batons, and coins. Its catalog dates the deck to the late 15th century.

What you can see in the engraving

The British Museum holds four uncolored cards from this deck. Its catalog notes the precise outlines and use of parallel lines and crosshatching. These marks give you a concrete place to begin. Follow their direction, look at how tightly they are spaced, and see how they trace the shapes.

One card depicts a rider brandishing a large sword, with a bare tree behind him. Before associating the sword with an abstract idea, take a moment to look at its size, the rider’s posture, and the tree’s place in the composition.

An observation exercise from Voyancea

The following exercise is a contemporary creation from Voyancea. It does not reconstruct a Renaissance practice or establish a historically documented meaning for the Sola Busca cards.

Choose a reproduction and look at it in three passes. First, focus on the lines. Where do they lead your eye? Next, look at the proportions. Which object seems to take up the most space? Finally, look at how the elements relate. Does a figure fill the whole space, or is there room around it?

Think of this as a short visit with a print in a gallery. You can share your observations out loud without drawing another card or looking for an omen.

Leave room for what we do not know

A visible shape, a personal association, and a historical explanation answer different questions. Saying “This sword looks heavy to me” expresses an impression. Claiming its maker intended a specific message would require different evidence. The distinction leaves room for the images to surprise us and keeps our account within what the sources can actually tell us.